I'm a player between beginner an intermediate strength (if I had to guess I'd say my rating would be 1350) and I have a decent collection of chess books. What I've found though is that it takes me a long time to get through the material because of all the moves and variations in the examples. I usually open a chess program to play out the moves when the example gets very long, but it's still taking me a long time. In my head I can usually play out about 8-10 moves while still having a clear picture of what the board would look like, but anything more than that and I'm lost. I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for reading chess books more efficiently, and if it's even possible to simply read through one without getting out a board or using a chess program?

It's great you are using chess program. I think it is best to read them slowly and what is most important to read them in spiral way. Take ahead, then return back to the previous page, so you will have better understanding. At least, I read them in this way